Using The Camera Inside; Running Ccdops; Getting Help - Santa Barbara Instrument Group ST-i Operating Manual

2. Using the Camera Inside

When you first receive the ST-i it's wise to get acquainted with its operation
inside the house where it's warm and not to try to struggle with the
telescope operation in the dark. We've included a brief tutorial below to get
you acquainted with the ST-i and the CCDOps software.

Running CCDOps

Once installed, it's easy to run CCDOps from the Windows Start menu.
Click the Start Menu, then find the SBIG Folder, which under Windows
XP is under the All Programs section. Finally click the CCDOps Icon to
start the program. You'll be presented with the startup About Dialog that
shows the SBIG logo and the version of CCDOps. To dispense with it click
anywhere in the dialog other than the two blue fields or simply wait and the
dialog will close itself.

Getting Help

CCDOps includes an extensive help file that can be accessed through the
Help Topics item in the Help menu. In addition many of the
dialogs have an embedded Help button that will take you to the
Help Topic for that specific command. Just remember, help is
always just a click away.
Opening and Inspecting Dark Frames
We've included some sample images on the SBIG Software and Catalog
CD-ROM to get you acquainted with what you should expect from your
camera.
First, let's look at what is called a dark frame. In the File menu use
the Open command and then navigate to the CD-ROM's Images directory.
Double-click on the ST-i Tutorial folder to show its contents. Finally
double-click on the Image 1 – Sample Dark Frame icon to open the image.
CCDOps will present you with a dialog listing all the parameters
associated with the image such as the Exposure Time, the Date and Time
the image was acquired, etc. Note that the Exposure Time was 1.0 second.
Spend some time inspecting the data then click in the dialog to close it.
Data like this is always attached to saved images and you can show it
using the Parameters command in the Display menu. After the Image
Parameters dialog has gone you'll see the image displayed in its own
window and the Contrast dialog will appear. The image is shown below:
SBIG ST-i Manual
11